70 EMG helps bring to life the 21st edition of Kala Ghoda Arts Festival

EE News Desk Feb 27, 2020

Over the last 21 years, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) has grown to be the biggest cultural fiesta in the country. The festival which began as a weekend celebration of art, has grown in epic proportions and is now spread across 9 days, offering something to everyone from across 14 different spaces in art & culture. Seventy Event Media Group (70 EMG) has been the event partner of the Kala Ghoda Association (KGA) for a major part of the journey, with 2020 marking 18 years of seeing the festival evolve. 70 EMG, known for bringing to life some of the biggest events and festivals in the country, have been instrumental in ensuring flawless operation of the festival.

One of the biggest attractions of KGAF are its selection of carefully curated events and workshops which are free to enter, and open to all. Over the years, the biggest names in music, dance, film, theatre and other fine arts have graced the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival with their presence.

Each year, people from all over Mumbai and India, flock to this crescent-shaped art district to be a part of the KGAF. An annual art pilgrimage, the festival opened its gates from the first Saturday of February to the succeeding Sunday, i.e. February 1 – 9, 2020.

The thousands of attendees visited events and activities in various categories such as Children, Cinema, Dance, Food, Heritage Walks, Literature, Music, Standup Comedy, Street, Theatre, Urban Design & Architecture, Visual Arts and Workshops. Following the precedence set over the last few years, the newly-introduced genres of Food and Stand-up Comedy once again garnered a lot of attention and attendance. The traditional favourites Cinema and Theatre continued to entertain the audiences with breath-taking performances on stage and cinematic excellence on screen. Theatre witnessed some of the best performances such as Pitaji Please & Locha Gotcha.

Cross Maidan, which hosts the Dance & Music sections was thronging with crowds eager to grab front row seats even on weekdays. Not surprising though, with the music line-up comprising diverse talent like Jonita Gandhi, Taufiq Qureshi, Shilpa Rao & Amaan & Ayaan Ali Bangash. Dance aficionados got a chance to witness the best Dance groups from across the country, such as Daksha Sheth Dance Company, Smitalaya, Aditi Mangaldas & Group, King’s United, and others.

70 EMG is responsible for the overall management and production of the festival and to supplement production managers to the individual curators so that they can bring the best content in their field to life. The event, whose popularity has been soaring each year saw a footfall of half a million attendees over the course of nine days across the 15 venues that form a part of the festival space. Managing an audience of this size is no mean feat but 70 EMG’s event managers ensured that the attendees could make the most out of the event and the entire festival is organized without any hiccups. For smooth running of 600+ events across 14 verticals, 70 EMG employs 14 managers with their separate teams, with each vertical being managed as an individual event. Beyond this, 70 EMG manages the overall production, general lighting, security & housekeeping of the event spaces with a team of over 65 personnel from 70 EMG; with keen pre-planning and liaising with local police, till date no security matter has been reported in the premise of the festival.

At the culmination of another successful edition of Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Sushant Arora, Managing Director – 70 EMG, Delhi and the custodian of KGAF at the company since its early years, said, “It is great to see Kala Ghoda [Arts Festival] grow leaps & bounds every year, and to have been a part of that journey fills us with a sense of pride. Like every year, a fresh 70 EMG team set out to collaborate with the KGA to overcome new challenges to create a better experience for the people who come to visit the festival, and I am thrilled to say that we have produced a brilliant event together again, taking the event to greater heights.”